November 9, 2008
WC 6th at MAISA Sloops, 8th at MAISA Women's

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The Washington College sailing team competed in two Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) championship regattas this weekend, finishing sixth of 10 schools at the MAISA Sloop Championships, hosted by Merchant Marine, and eighth of 14 schools at the MAISA Fall Women's Championships, hosted by Navy.

At the MAISA Sloop Championships, junior Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) served as Washington's skipper, while seniors Derek Packard (Excelsior, MN/Breck) and Seth Olson (Branford, CT/Branford) and sophomore James Shepherd (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park) served as the team's crews. Washington finished third, second, seventh, third, fifth, fifth, seventh, seventh, and eighth, respectively, in the regatta's 10 races.

New York Maritime won the MAISA Sloop Championships, while St. Mary's was second and Hobart/William Smith was third. Seven races were sailed on Saturday in an 8-15 knot southerly, while the remaining three races sailed on Sunday in a 14-16 knot westerly.

At the MAISA Fall Women's Championships, freshman skipper Mildred Conroy (Newton, MA/Tabor Academy) and freshman crew Lauren Marks (Baltimore, MD/Friends School) were eighth in A Division, while junior skipper Krista Hankins (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) and junior crew Genevieve Smith (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll) finished eighth in B Division. It was Hankins's first regatta as a skipper. The eighth-place overall finish gave Washington the final MAISA berth in next weekend's Atlantic Coast Women's Championships.

Second-ranked St. Mary's (MD) won the MAISA Fall Women's Championships, followed by Georgetown in second and eighth-ranked Old Dominion in third. Saturday's races sailed in 5-8 knots of breeze. Sunday started with a shifty westerly from 5-12 knot which slowly died as the southerly sea breeze pushed in Once the southerly filled, racing was completed in 5-8 knots.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team will compete at the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championships, hosted by Hobart and William Smith and the Atlantic Coast Women's Championships, hosted by Georgetown.